In today’s talk, Eli Beer explains how United Hatzalah, his organization of ambucycle-riding volunteer emergency medical responders, has shaved critical minutes off of the average emergency response time — first in Jerusalem, then throughout Israel, and now in several countries around the world.[ted_talkteaser id=1799]

The core mission of United Hatzalah (which is Hebrew for “rescue”) is saving lives. But the organization performs another kind of rescue as well: from the sharp social divisions that so often pervade life in Israel. In United Hatzalah, Jews and Muslims volunteer their services side-by-side, dedicated to the common cause of improving emergency medical care. The organization’s volunteers provide assistance no matter what the nationality, religion or ethnicity of the person in need of help. In this way, United Hatzalah serves as an exemplary model for all of Israeli society. In June, Beer and Murad Alyan, who runs a Muslim unit of United…